Chapter Text
Rey shut her laptop, not able to bare anymore. She sat in silence for a moment with concern filling her mind.
Just then the front door swung open and Finn slid into the house.
“Rey, tonight’s the night! Are you ready?” he yelled in excitement to his girlfriend on their couch.
She sighed. “I guess.”
“Great!” he ran into their bedroom and came back in record time, now changed from his work clothes. “Check it, nobody at the theatre is gonna out do me. I got my t-shirt, my hat, and my replica brown jacket, just like the one the lead character wears. This is gonna be the best movie ever!”
Rey sighed again.
“What’s wrong?” Finn asked.
She shook her head. “I’m just not that into it anymore.”
“WHAT?” Finn ran up to the couch. “We’ve been waiting for this sequel for years. How are you not excited?”
Rey slapped her laptop, still frustrated. “It’s the disrespect the film company shows the lead male character. They pretend like he’s not even there. Even though he was the one that moved the story in first movie.”
“Oh that. I understand but, Rey come on, you can’t let that bother you.”
“You saw the trailer Finn. He didn’t even get a line. Well, not in the first one at least.”
Finn nodded. “Yeah and you saw the recent trailers too. They showed all the plot lines and characters individually.”
“I know, but still. The trailers, the posters, the whole marketing has just been some bull-”
“It’s marketing Rey,” Finn said, putting his hands on her shoulders to ease the tension. “That’s the game they play, and it isn’t the first time. You know how the game goes, they tried to market to all sides of fandoms.”
“That’s just it,” she exclaimed. “How do we know that they’re not just tricking our side of the fandom?”
Finn smiled. “Because we saw the first movie. Don’t you remember how clear the main characters, romance, and plot lines were?”
“Well yeah. They were completely clear. I don’t know how people can be so delusional.”
He patted her shoulders and leaned back into the couch. “So there’s no problem then. You know the truth and it’s gonna be even better once we see this movie.”
“I know Finn. But, I’m still nervous. I mean, what if-”
She was cut off when the front door swung open again.
“I’m here! And I got the snacks!” Luke announced.
Rey rolled her eyes. “Dad, how many times do I have to tell you to use the doorbell? That key is for emergencies.”
Luke put down the candy and chips on the nightstand. “Sorry, just got excited. I love Netflix nights.”
“It’s not on Netflix. It’s in the theaters,” Rey said.
“What?” Luke said. “I thought Netflix is the theatre now. What am I paying all this monthly money for?”
“You’re not dad. You’re streaming through my account.”
Luke shrugged, “Still, it’s the principle of the matter.”
“Hey Mr. Skywalker you’re gonna have to hide those snacks when we go in,” Finn pointed out.
“Oh, no problem.”
Luke picked up the snacks and stuffed them under his sweater.
“Uh,” Finn grimaced. “You’re wearing something under that right?”
“Hey you know your door’s open?” A voice called from behind.
They turned to see Han and Leia walk in.
“Uncle Han.” Rey stood up, pleasantly surprised. “So you did decide to come with us after all.”
“Hey, I always like spending time with my family,” Han replied.
“And because I bought the tickets,” Rey smirked.
“Well yeah,” he grinned.
Leia stepped up and hugged her Niece. “Of course he came. After all this may be your generation’s series. But don’t forget we saw the originals back in our day. Plus, it’s only right to see our original hero act in her final movie.”
“Yep, we’re gonna miss her,” Han put his arm around Leia and pulled her closer. “Those were the good old days. If ya ask me, they should do a reference to that old bikini scene.”
“Stop Han,” Leia elbowed him. “It’s a family movie.”
“That didn’t stop them last time,” Han muttered over to Luke.
Rey couldn’t help but laugh and shake her head at her relatives antics.
“Hey you know you’re door’s open?” Another voice called out.
They all turned to see Poe and Jessika walk in.
“Hey everybody.”
“Whats up guys.” Finn greeted his friends. “Ready for the movie?”
Jessika sighed. “Yeah, let’s get this over with.”
“What?” Finn threw his arms up, shocked at her reaction. “Not you too. First Rey’s bummed out, now you two are?”
Jessika crossed her arms. “It’s that damn online fandom. I still can’t believe they ship that evil dude with the lead female. It’s wrong, and disgusting.”
“That’s what I’m saying,” Rey cut in. “I mean, he tortured her! And you know the only reason that side of the fandom ships them is because of the disrespect they show the lead male character. They’re trying to erase him.”
“But he’s not erased, that’s the point,” Finn said, putting his hands on Rey’s shoulders again. “He was in the first movie and he’s gonna be there forever. Just like he his in this sequel.”
“Yeah but, what if the director and writers actually did trick us all?” Jessika continued, “And they actually-”
“Jess, remember when you played sports in school?” Finn asked, trying a new tactic. “Did you ever go into the game hoping that you wouldn’t lose, or did you go in excited to win?”
It didn’t take her long to respond. “Win. Always.”
Finn nodded, hoping the analogy got through. “Then that’s how you should be now.”
He turned back to address the whole group. “You’ve all gotten so absorbed with the negatives of the fandom and marketing, that you forgot what excited you to see this movie in the first place. For me, it was the realistic characters. I really like following their journey because I can relate to them. And the story they’re telling is amazing.”
“Yeah”, Poe nodded in agreement. “You know what, that was a good movie. I almost forgot how much I liked it. Even the romance was good. It wasn’t that mushy cinema crap, or the fake forced lust. They were real buds. Just like us.” He put his arm around Jessika, smiling at his girlfriend.
“Yeah, and remember that banter?” Jessika laughed, recalling her favorite scenes. “They’re such dorks. I laughed so hard when I first saw it.”
Getting more excited, Rey added,“And what’s even better is they fight the villains best when they’re together. Remember how they defended each other and they’re powers started to grow? It was awesome.”
“Those fight scenes were amazing,” Leia agreed.
“And chase scenes. Classic,” Luke said.
Finn grinned, seeing the hype grow among the group. It had been a while sense he saw them all this excited about their favorite series.
“Yes! All of that,” he spoke up again. “That’s why we’re all so into this series. This is the first time I liked something so much that I actually joined a fandom. And forget about the internet for a second. “Whenever you see real life people around talking about this movie, they like the lead male. And they ship the same couple we do. Because it is the best, and it is cannon.”
“Damn right it is!” Rey cheered.
“Yeah,” Finn continued. “So what if the online fandom is split in weird directions. It’s the internet. People needed something to talk about for two years while we waited for this movie. Even the crazy haters.”
Han cleared his throat, feeling the need to give some wisdom to the young ones before him. “Well, I don’t know much about the internet game. But you know my motto with annoying haters,” he shrugged. “Fuck em.”
“Well said,” Finn agreed before turning to Rey. “And plus, the internet fandom isn’t all bad. There are actually some cool people on there. Like our friend Rose.”
“Oh, she’s coming tonight.” Rey beamed. “I can’t wait for you all to meet her. And she’s bringing her sister, Paige.”
“There you go,” Finn continued, turning back to the group. “And think of the tons theories, hundreds of fan videos, and thousands of fan fictions people have made. Hell people even write smut. They actually write and read these characters in porn.”
“IT’S ART, FINN! ART!”
Rey stopped when she realized she drew some strange looks from the others.
“I mean,” she cleared her throat, “So I’ve heard...”
“Anyway,” Finn continued, “You think a movie that inspired all that amazing creativity would secretly be deceiving us? This movie was originally just something to do on a Friday night. Two hours of entertainment actually became two years of our lives.”
He emphasized the last point, letting it sink in to the others. “It inspired art, conversations, and brought people together. Are you gonna let some mixed marketing and angry internet trolls ruin that for you?”
“Hell no,” Poe said.
Finn turned to Jessika. “And you brought up the actors. You’ve seen enough of them in the media by now. Do you really think they’re the types to be sell outs?”
“Now way. They’re legit,” she replied.
“Exactly. So let’s have fun seeing this movie. Let the delusional haters be enlightened by the truth. And if they’re still talking mess after this movie, then well...”
“Fuck em,” Han said.
“Right!” Finn clapped his hands together. “Now, it’s movie time!”
“Yeah!” They all cheered.
“Are you ready to see a friendship turned to romance during an epic battle of equally treated characters save the world?!”
“YEAH,” they chanted.
“This is OUR movie!” Finn preached.
“YEAH!!!”
While everyone continued to cheer, Rey ran up and threw her arms around Finn’s neck, pulling him into a big kiss. She held the kiss for a moment, grinning when she pulled back. “This is why I love you.”
“Obviously,” Finn said, with his best cool voice. “Alright everyone. Let’s go!”
With spirits much higher, they all followed Finn out of the house.
“Right behind you son,” Luke said.
“Dad!” Rey stood embarrassed while the others chuckled, making their way to the car. She turned back to her father and shoved his arm. “I told you to stop calling my boyfriend that.”
“What?” Luke said, shutting the door behind him. “You two will probably be married by the time they finish the trilogy.”
“Dad!”
“Oh come on. That’s not even a spoiler at this point.”